A Very Not-So Unforgotten Birthday
by xblackrosefirex
Summary: Nine years later, Helga is still used to her parents forgetting about her birthday. What happens when a certain football head makes the day just a little bit brighter?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone, back with another Hey Arnold story. As I mentioned in my last fic, A Gift, I'm all multi-chaptered out, so I'm only doing one shots for a while.

Scratch that. This was originally going to be a oneshot. However, as I kept writing, I noticed it was getting way too long to be called a one shot. I had no choice, but to divide it up into chapters. So, I guess when I say I'm multi-chaptered out, I mean: I'm only doing one shots, and if I do any multi-chapter fics, they will be no more than four chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Hey Arnold.

Title: A Very Not-So Unforgotten Birthday

Summary: Nine years later, Helga is still used to her parents forgetting about her birthday. What happens when a certain football head makes the day just a little bit brighter?

Rating: K-T

Disclaimer: Nothing, except the plot of this story, belongs to me.

Chapter One: Forgotten

 _Smack! Clang!_ An empty soda can bounced off of the nearby brick wall, and came down to hit the pavement.

It's attacker? A small blonde haired girl in pig tails, wearing almost all pink.

The happy and cheerful color did not match her bland expression.

Helga Pataki kicked at the can a few more times, putting several dents in it. A bored expression lingered on her face, and she eventually decided that she was bored with this little game, and went on to throwing rocks at the dumpster instead.

She sighed as she picked up a rather large pebble, and chucked it at the dumpster, the impact causing the clang against the metal to echo.

Aside from the fact that the welcoming color of her outfit didn't match her bored expression there was something else out of place.

Sure, the day was warm and sunny. Unusually warm and sunny for this very month. But inside Helga Pataki, there was a swirling storm that was both violent and calm.

Today was March 26th. The day Helga Pataki was born.

And, just like every birthday she's had, once again, her parents forgot about it. There were no cards, no cake, no decorations, nor a simple 'happy birthday.' No, the day just went on like any other day. Miriam would be passed out on the couch, and Bob would be yelling at the TV before he went off to work.

They always remembered Olga's birthday, though. Hell, her parent prepared for the day _weeks_ before Olga's big day, prattling on and on about how they were going to make, "their little baby's special day extra magical." And Olga, just like always, basked in the glory of their parent's attention. It was enough to make Helga Pataki feel like she was being mocked.

It was enough to make Helga Pataki puke.

At first, Helga was angry. Angry, sad and resentful. She knew it was human nature to forget things. After all, no one was perfect, people made mistakes. She knew that all too well from watching her on family.

But, how… _how…HOW…_ could a parent forget the day they brought their own child into the world? How could a parent just go about that very day like it's nothing, like it had no meaning? She never expected her parents to go out of their way. Big fancy parties, expensive presents, pretty decorations, a delicious cake. Sure, she would have appreciated the gesture, no doubt. But a simple card and a happy birthday would have been nice too.

Instead, just like always, she was pushed into the shadows.

But, after nine years of just being forgotten, Helga could honestly say she was used it. The anger and resentment left her. Instead, it was just an endless sea of grey. No anger. No sadness. It was just an endless feeling of nothing at all.

It was March 26, a Saturday. She couldn't believe it, but this was one of the only days that Helga Pataki wished that she was in school. At least she could spend her birthday entertaining herself by throwing spitballs at that stupid football head.

"Hey Helga!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Sympathy

His voice caused a shriek to erupt from her, and in her surprise, she jumped.

"A…Arnold?!"

Getting over her shock, she shook her head, and finally, her trademark scowl appeared.

"I…I mean, what the heck is _wrong_ with you, you stupid football head?! Criminy, are you trying to give me a heart attack or something? And what are you doing, stalking me?"

Arnold just stared at her.

"Uhm…well, no. I just saw you over here, all by yourself, and I got a little curious."

Helga scoffed.

"Well, congratulations, you can put your curiosity at ease, Arnoldo. I'm doing just fine. Not that it's any of your business."

Arnold sighed.

"Whatever you say Helga."

He was about to walk away, before stopping to turn around once again to face her.

"What? What do you _want_?"

Arnold reached up and scratched his head.

"Well," he said, "today is March 26th."

Helga could feel her eyes widen. Before she could look any more surprised, she quickly put on an uncaring mask to prove her nonchalance at the very date.

"Yeah? So? What's your deal?"

"No deal, Helga. It's just that, March 26th is your birthday…so…happy birthday!"

Inwardly, Helga could feel her entire being light up. Everyone else besides her parents and sister had wished her a happy birthday. But receiving such a message from Arnold, the boy she had fallen madly in love with, well, to her, it was better than anything else. In all honesty, she was happy

She put a small half smile on her face.

"Well, thanks, Arnold."

She really was grateful.

Arnold scratched his head.

"So, are you doing anything special for your birthday?"

And the happiness ebbed away, just like that.

"Nope. Haven't since I can remember."

This time, it was Arnold's turn to be surprised.

"What? Why?"

Helga shrugged.

"It's not really that big of a deal, football head, but if you really must know, this isn't the first time my parents forgot my birthday."

"Your parents forgot your birthday?!"

"They forget it every year, Arnold. Of course, they always remember Olga's. They throw a big party for her, get her lots of presents, invite all her friends over, the whole nine yards. With mine, well, mine just happens like any other day. I wake up, eat breakfast, and just do whatever. That's how it's always been."

"Helga, that's terrible!"

Helga waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't get all sappy on me, ok. I don't need your pity. I'm not going to lie and say that at first it didn't hurt, but I've gotten used to it. Besides, what's it matter if they forget my next birthday? What does it matter if they forget all my birthday? I just don't want to make a big deal out of it."

Helga wouldn't have been surprised if her parents forgot to come to her own wedding. She remembered her mom and dad arguing over the fact that he wasn't there to witness his youngest daughter being born. Instead, he was at a business meeting, sealing a deal with a major phone company all the way from California.

That was the only time she ever saw her mother, and to a small extent, her father, give a damn.

Arnold felt his heart drop for the girl in front of him. If he said that she was his favorite person, he would be lying. If he said that her bullying him on a regular basis didn't get annoying, he'd be lying. It was no secret that Helga Pataki got on his nerves.

But, no one, not even Helga Pataki, deserved to be forgotten about, especially not on their birthday. He knew Helga was putting up a front with her "I don't care" attitude, but he knew the truth. Underneath that nonchalant attitude, there was a girl who just wanted to be noticed.

And if anything, this one little confession from her gave him a small key hole to the door to just what her family life was like.

It was no wonder Helga was the way she was, but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Anyway," she spoke up, "I'm going to go to the arcade, or something. Treat myself to some birthday pizza and video games."

"Oh, ok Helga. See you at school, I guess, and happy birthday."

Arnold watched on as Helga walked off towards the direction of the arcade, a wave of concern washing over him.

Then, his face lit up, as he suddenly got an idea. It wasn't much of one, but he knew he could do it. He just had to move quickly.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Remembered

"This is getting boring," Helga muttered as she beat her opponent on a fighting game for the tenth time.

She was just getting bored with the arcade in general. She liked video games, and because she didn't own a console at home, she would come to the arcade to play a few here and there.

"Might as well go home," she thought, as she made her way to the door. The sun was starting to set anyway.

Then again, she could have walked in the door of her house at 3 AM, and her parents would have never taken any notice of it.

She made her way down the street to the Pataki house. It was a long walk, but she really didn't much feel like taking the bus. She didn't have any money for it, anyway at the time. She had spent the last few coins of her bus money at the arcade. She would always just take a few dollars from Miriam's purse, leaving a note stating how much she took.

Within 30 minutes, her house loomed over her as she approached it. She stepped up the front porch stairs, and opened the door.

As usual, her father was in the living room, watching a football game, yelling obscenities.

"Mother scratcher," he exclaimed, "What the hell was that?! How could you miss that?!" Helga rolled her eyes.

And her mother? Passed out with her head on the kitchen table, a glass in hand, containing the remains of one of her so called "smoothies."

Not wanting any attention from them, she made her way up to her bedroom, to start on that essay that Mr. Simmons assigned them: "Choose a figure from history, and write about what impacts they had on the world." Helga had chosen Queen Elizabeth I of England. She had checked out a few books at the local library, and since the essay was due next week, and because she had nothing else to do, she might as well spend the rest of her birthday working on it.

As she opened the door to her bedroom, she noticed something…strange.

On her bed, in plain white wrapping paper with a pink ribbon, was a package, with an envelope on top. Helga's bored demeanor twisted into that of sheer curiosity, as she picked it up, turning it over and over.

Shrugging, she put the envelope aside, and tore open the package.

Inside, was a notebook, bound in pink suede, with a silver lock and key.

Boredom has turned into curiosity, and curiosity turned into surprise. Who on earth gave her this? And how did they get it on her bed?

She picked up the envelope, hoping what was inside would hold some form of identification of who gave her the notebook.

Sure enough, there was a letter inside, with handwriting she recognized, instantly:

 _Helga,_

 _Because it's your birthday, and because, to be honest, I felt bad that nobody remembered it, and because I remembered overhearing you telling Phoebe that your mom accidentally threw your last one in the fireplace, I went ahead and got you this. From our time in class together, I know you like to write, so, I thought this would be a good present, something you both like, and could use._

 _You're probably wondering how I got this here. While you were at the arcade, I dropped it by your house, asking your mom if I could put it on your bed. She didn't seem to mind too much…._

Helga's eyes widened as she nearly swooned with both happiness and embarrassment. Arnold….Arnold was in her room?

She continued reading the note.

 _Anyway, I hope you like your new notebook. I know it isn't much, but I still wanted to get you something._

 _See you in class on Monday, and happy birthday!_

 _Arnold._

Helga placed the note with the envelope on her nightstand, and began to unlock the silver lock on the notebook.

The pages were that of something similar to parchment, delicately lined, to make writing easier for the user. The sides, top and bottom of the pages had been painted with gold.

The notebook was beautiful, and very well crafted, but that wasn't the reason a smile crept on her face.

Someone had gone through the trouble to get her this. Someone had worked to make sure she had gotten something for her birthday, had made an effort to make her happy.

The fact that it was Arnold, made it much more meaningful than it already was to Helga.

Maybe, just maybe, this birthday wasn't so bad after all.

And maybe, just maybe, there was hope for her and Arnold, in the future.

End

I hope you guys liked that.

Maybe some of you were wondering why Arnold didn't go ahead and plan Helga a surprise birthday party. To be honest, I did consider that idea.

But, I didn't want to go down the route. I've read fics where he did plan a surprise party for her. It's a very creative idea, and the fics I've read containing such a topic have been very good and entertaining to read, so please, if any of you who's reading this, has written a story where Arnold did plan a surprise party for Helga, please know that I am in no way bashing your idea.

I just wanted to do something different. I had the notebook idea, and really wanted to experiment with it, and I hope I did a decent job.

I got the idea for the notebook gift, due to Helga's love for writing. We know, from watching episodes of the show, that she does like to write, as she has several books filled up with poems (all dedicated to Arnold). And because of the time she and Arnold spend in class, the fact that they are classmates, I think it's safe to assume that he has somehow picked up on the fact that Helga does like to write (that doesn't mean he knows what she writes about though).

Thank you very much for reading, and once again, I hope you enjoyed the story. I'll see you all next time.


End file.
